Hodgson not worried by Mascherano silence

19 July 2010 11:01

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson insists he is not concerned that he has not heard from Javier Mascherano since trying to contact the midfielder last week.
The Argentina captain is still on holiday after his World Cup exploits and is not due to return for pre-season training for another week.
However, having met with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to talk about his plans and their futures Hodgson was keen to speak to Mascherano, who still remains the most likely of the trio to leave this summer.
The 26-year-old has been linked with a reunion with former Reds boss Rafael Benitez at Inter Milan, but Hodgson has not yet had an opportunity to sell his vision of a new era at Anfield as phone calls to South America have gone unanswered.
But the Liverpool boss is not worried by the situation, saying: "He doesn't need to make contact with me. I've made contact with him telling him I'm looking forward to seeing him in training when he returns from his holiday but I did make the point in the voicemail that I didn't expect him to contact me.
"I just wanted him to know that I had been in touch and that I was thinking of him. I didn't ask him to call me back. I don't have a lot to say to him, to be honest, other than 'Welcome back'."